Staff Picks from the Valley Cottage Library
Here are the Valley Cottage Library staff's summer picks.
Non-Fiction Staff Picks for Summer Reading
Click on the book title to place a hold on the print version. Where available on Libby/Overdrive or Hoopla, we've linked to the ebook and/or audiobook in the body of the recommendation. As always, please contact us if you need help downloading content.
When Mckinsey Comes to Town by Call Number: 338.761 BOGISBN: 9780385546232Publication Date: 2022-10-04Recommended by Katrina
Worth a read if you feel like being filled with horror at the far reach of this company. The corruption is mind-boggling.
Request the audiobook.
Entangled Life by Call Number: 579.5 SHEISBN: 9780525510314Publication Date: 2020-05-12Recommended by Sean
Here's what sold me: our teen librarian, Katrina, mentioned that to promote the book the author seeded oyster mushrooms on a damp copy of the book and then ate said mushrooms (yes, there's a video)--thereby consuming his subject, which had grown and been sustained by his text. The book is similarly poetic and often fascinating (even if you still find yourself avoiding the mushrooms in your next meal).
Request the ebook and audiobook.
Cuba (Winner of the Pulitzer Prize) by Call Number: 972.91 FERISBN: 9781501154553Publication Date: 2021-09-07Recommended by Adrienne
Intimate look at the complex relationship between Cuba and the US. Interesting and eye opening.
ebook.
To Dye For by Call Number: 677 WICISBN: 9780593422618Publication Date: 2023-06-27Recommended by Jen G
I hate this book, but it was really good. An easy to read/understand look at what our passion for fashion foes to our environment and bodies. This book changed the way I look at and buy clothes.
A Song for the River by Call Number: B CONNORSISBN: 9781941026915Publication Date: 2018-09-18Recommended by Georgette
A beautifully written memoir by a forest fire lookout ranger. It is filled with love of nature and the heart-breaking loss of dear friends.
One of Amazon's & NPR's best nonfiction books of the year (2018)!
Borrow the audiobook.
Fiction Staff Picks for Summer Reading
Click on the book title to place a hold on the print version. Where available on Libby/Overdrive or Hoopla, we've linked to the ebook and/or audiobook in the body of the recommendation. As always, please contact us if you need help downloading content.
Watership Down: The Graphic Novel by Call Number: ADAMSISBN: 9781984857200Publication Date: 2023-10-17Recommended by Adrienne
Graphic novel version of the classic.
Request the original text via audiobook.
Insane City by Call Number: BARRYISBN: 9780399158681Publication Date: 2013-01-29Recommended by Mary
Hysterically funny but saved from silliness by some slightly serious stuff.
Woman arranges elaborate wedding and everything goes wrong.
The Unwedding by Call Number: CONDIEISBN: 9781538757604Publication Date: 2024-06-04Recommended by Jennifer
If you enjoy a classic whodunit, this mystery is for you. The story takes place in a gorgeous resort in Big Sur. The drama begins to unfold as Ellery, the main character, finds a dead body in the pool.
Request the ebook and audiobook on Overdrive/Libby
Family Family by Call Number: FRANKELISBN: 9781250236807Publication Date: 2024-01-23Recommended by Katie
Nobody writes funny, complicated families in unusual circumstances like Laurie Frankel.
All Fours by Call Number: JULYISBN: 9780593190265Publication Date: 2024-05-14Recommended by Sean
Amusing and a bit strange, much like July's films--finish the novel and then watch The Future (available on Kanopy) for more yearning and interpretive dancing.
Request the ebook and audiobook.
Happiness Falls (Good Morning America Book Club) by Call Number: KIMISBN: 9780593448205Publication Date: 2023-08-29
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by Call Number: MCBRIDEISBN: 9780593422946Publication Date: 2023-08-08
Where the Crawdads Sing by Call Number: OWENSISBN: 9780735219090Publication Date: 2018-08-14Recommended by Jennifer
I thoroughly enjoyed Where the Crawdads Sing. It was truly unlike any other book I have read. The main character, Kya, is both smart and sensitive. She has been nicknamed "Marsh Girl"
by the town and finds herself accused of murder. Watch the movie, too!
Request the ebook and audiobook on Overdrive/Libby.
The Rose Code by Call Number: QUINNISBN: 9780063059412Publication Date: 2021-03-09Recommended by Jennifer
This was a captivating read about brilliant women playing amazing roles during WWII.
Request the ebook and audiobook on Overdrive/Libby
Or borrow the ebook or audiobook on hoopla.
Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Call Number: SEEISBN: 9781982117085Publication Date: 2023-06-06Recommended by Jennifer
This book took me to a place not familiar to me - 15th Century China. It was such a vivid piece of historical fiction. I was completely amazed by the strength of the main character and her ability to help other women even through a time of arranged marriages and bound feet.
Request the ebook and audiobook.
Romantic Comedy (Reese's Book Club) by Call Number: SITTENFELDISBN: 9780399590948Publication Date: 2023-04-04
Hench by Call Number: WALSCHOTSISBN: 9780062978578Publication Date: 2020-09-22Recommended by Jen G
Superheroes may be super, but has anyone ever accounted for the cost? After a devastating accident involving a super, Anna takes her anger and funnels it into what she knows best - compiling data. Using this data, she becomes a Hench for super-villain in order to bring the supers down. A unique twist on Good v. Evil, compelling, and a wee bit nerdy.
Borrow the ebook and audiobook.
